4th of July Menu with Barbecue Ribs, Deviled Eggs, Coca Cola Cake and all the Trimmings

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”

Thomas Jefferson
Fourth of July MENU
Jack Daniel’s Boozed Baked Beans
Barbecued Ribs
Bread & Butter Pickles
Deviled Eggs
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with Bacon
Corn Fritters
Broccoli Salad
Coca Cola Cake
Pineapple Mojitos Lemonade Iced Mint Tea
Can you believe it's July, half the year is gone! I'm going to a friend's cabin for their annual picnic on Friday, to another friend's annual fireworks supper on Saturday and then on Sunday night, we're having a 4th of July dinner with family and friends at home. I hope that each of you enjoy a safe and happy holiday weekend as we celebrate our country's birthday. Travel blessings, don't drink and drive, and watch out for the blistering sun.

Jack Daniels Baked Beans
2 cans 16 to 18 oz. baked beans
3/4 cup brown sugar
¼ cup sorghum
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
2/3 cup ketchup
1 medium yellow onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
8 slices bacon, chopped
¼ cup Coca Cola
¼ cup Jack Daniels
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cook bacon in skillet for about 5 minutes over medium/ low heat – don’t crisp bacon. Remove bacon and set aside, add onions and pepper to skillet and cook in bacon drippings for 10 minutes over medium heat. In a bowl mix the remaining ingredients. Drain bacon, onion and pepper and add to bean mixture. Mix well and pour into greased casserole. Cover with foil for the first hour of baking. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 ½ hours.

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Oakmont's Regal Tablescape and Creme Brulee Fit for a Queen - Miss Tennessee

Last week, the Miss Tennessee pageant was held here in Jackson. We host the largest state pagaent and this year welcomed 36 contestants. The red carpet was rolled out for our visiting guests, dignitaries, and contestants. Each night the judges were limoed to a different home for dinner before the preliminaries and the finals on Saturday evening.

Two of my dear friends and neighbors, Bobby Walden and Jim Norton, opened up their home, Oakmont to the judges and Jim prepared the dinner which was served around the banquet table in their colonial estate. They are two of the most gracious and accomodating hosts you will ever meet. Bobby and Jim leave nothing to chance. Kent Freeman, a local designer provided the stunning centerpiece of roses, lilies, and hydrangeas.
Jay and Allison DeMarcus (he of Rascal Flatts fame and she a former Miss Tennesee who serves as the pageant emcee), Jane Seymour, Bruce Sutka - the Prince of Parties from Palm Beach, Governors, Senators, Broadway stars, publishers, and NFL athletes have all been regally received at Oakmont. It's a much sought after invitation and one I always accept with pleasure.
Miss Tennessee 2009 was crowned on her third attempt and has already stressed to children in the area to never give up on your dreams. She is the spokesperson for the Governor for a Drug Free Tennessee during her reign.

M E N U

Maryland Crab Cakes with a Spicy Cream Sauce

Organic Spring Mix
of Granny Smith Apples, Black Olives, Vidalia Onion, Strawberries, Feta, Toasted Walnuts
tossed with a Strawberry Vinaigrette

Creamy Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Venetian Spinach with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
Filet Mignon in a Reduction of Cabernet Butter Sauce

Crème Brulee with Brown Sugar and Fresh Raspberries

Crème Brûlée
Also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, this is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by caramelizing sugar under a broiler, with a butane torch or other intense heat source, or by pouring sugar on top of the custard.
The custard base may be flavored with just vanilla, but can be enhanced with chocolate, a liqueur, herbs or fruit. It ranks as one of the top desserts in our country but it was the French who brought it into vogue in the late 19th century. A savory version may include cheese, garlic, leeks etc.
Ina Garten of the Food Network says it is the ultimate ‘guy’ dessert. “Make it and he’ll follow you anywhere,” she claims. Crème Brûlée is quick and easy to prepare at home even for the novice. So why not give this sweet custard a try and be daring honey, add your favorite spice or liqueur as the signature note.
1 extra large egg
4 extra large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp light brown sugar for each serving
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp favorite flavoring, liqueur (optional)
Mix the egg, yolks, and ½ cup sugar on low speed until combined. Meanwhile, scald cream in pan until hot to the touch –DO NOT BOIL. With mixer on low speed, slowly add cream to egg mixture. Add vanilla and any additional flavoring. Pour into 5 or 6 ramekins, not quite full. Place these ramekins in a baking pan and pour boiling water in pan to come halfway up the sides. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes (until custard is set when you gently shake.) Remove ramekins from water bath, cool and refrigerate. When ready to serve, spread 1 tablespoon brown sugar evenly on top of each custard; but ramekins on cookie sheet and run under broiler for a few minutes until sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes and the caramelized sugar will harden. Serve with your favorite garnish. Happy Twirls ya’ll. Next time try gorgonzola, leeks and tarragon in your crème brulee and omit the sugar for a savory version topped with parmesan cheese which you can brown off.

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Seven Random Things about this Southern Belle

The Senator and I want to thank Bama Belle at http://thoughts-of-a-bama-belle.blogspot.com and Laurabeth at http://akj0521.blogspot.com for honoring TwirlandTaste with the Most Charming Blog Award. These are two of Alabama’s finest who I’ve gotten to know through the blogging universe and they are both delightful!

This is how the award works: This award is bestowed to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to other bloggers who will in turn nominate others and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."So here it goes... seven random things . . .

1. I was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England.
2. I’ve often wondered why no one has figured out how to take the growth enzyme from Kudzu and adapt it to other plants.
3. Spending a couple of hours in the gorilla house at the zoo watching those giant creatures watch us has always fascinated me – just wondering what they think.
4. I once was awakened by the radiance of an angel.
5. I’d like to have a dinner party sometime in the middle of a cotton field, underneath a white tent at twilight with lots of candles (and AC of course.)
6. Beautiful stationary, table linens, fragrances and bed sheets are favorites of mine.
7. The endless potential of the human mind has always mesmerized me – child prodigies, instant recall, genius artists, musicians, mathematicians who have had no training but can do amazing tasks!

And we extend this gracious award to all of the followers of TwirlandTaste.

Celebrate with Trace Atkins and a little Moomba Splash

Moomba Splash

1 (64 ounce) container of orange pineapple juice
1 cup coconut rum
1 cup apricot brandy
Mix all three ingredients. Serve over ice and add a piece of pineapple or orange slice if desired.

Tonight my Uncle Calvin had dinner with us and we talked about June 20th ever so many years ago. It was the day before his first born arrived on this earth, and he and his wife, Lois, named their baby Barbara. In time she was blessed with three younger brothers.
Today Barbara has assumed many responsibilities of their family as her mother suffers from Lewy Body disease, which is similar to Alzheimer’s, and for the past few weeks has lived in a nursing facility. It’s a transition for everyone, and anyone who has faced similar circumstances, understands the pain, the loss, and the helplessness you feel at times.
Barbara is seven months younger than I am and we have played, gone to the river, grown up and shared happy and stressful times together. It is true about that blood and water thing, at least in our family. In addition to being someone I trust and love, she’s one of the smartest and funniest souls I’ve ever known.
She has her master’s in education and after years in the third grade classroom, she is now in charge of a math lab. That’s on top of raising two sons who she has supported with tough love at times, and is the best “GaGa” any child ever knew. She and her husband, Gil, now share their home with a cat, but their door is always open.
When she’s not taking care of others, be it a niece or a friend, she’s at the sewing machine. Barbara sews, monograms, and smocks beautifully. She’s never searched for a spotlight, but she’s never run from a challenge or missed an opportunity, especially if it helps a child or someone she loves.
Barbara loves her family, helping children learn, anything caramel or chocolate, Moomba Splash, homemade pimento cheese, the beach on Mother’s Day weekend, magnolias, great handbags, and as of last Wednesday night – Trace Adkins. Trace was at a little twirl in Nashville that Barbara attended and they struck up a conversation and the next thing I knew, he had his arm wrapped around her and laughing at whatever it was she was saying. She came a little past his waist, but oh they were a cute couple while it lasted.
Well when I showed a photo to her father tonight of his little girl with the country star, he just smiled and said, “I guess Barbara’s in the big time now.” He was proud of his eldest child and told me how smart she was and how much she had done for him, especially the last several weeks. Daddy’s little girl had made him proud and like our grandfather wrote, “I have sort of a hunch the whole blame bunch was born 80 years too soon.”

Cheers to the greatest cousin I could ever ask for. Happiest of Birthdays to you Barbara, as of June 21st you’ll be as old as me for the next five months. Happy Father's Day to Uncle Calvin and his brother, my daddy, who we lost three years ago. As you can see Senator was a Daddy's boy who loved being a lap dog!

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Fun and Elegant Tablescape and Fantasy Dinner - First Course Lady Pea and Corn Salad

Well here's a fantasy table for you set by Michael Tavano, one of the hippest desginers today. Now if you could invite 17 guests to join you at this table for dinner, who would they be?

From the past, mine might include: Leonardo DeVinci, Charlemange, Henry Ford, Dolly Madison, Thomas Jefferson, CoCo Channel, Albert Einstein, Perle Mesta, Thomas Alva Edison, Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Christopher Columbus, Edgar Cayce, Ernest Hemmingway, Napolean, Florence Harding, Cleopatra and Winston Churchill.

Among those who I have dined with and find endlessly fascinating - Carl S. Anthony, LeRoy Neiman, Jim Neal, Dr. Tom DeGraba, Dr. Mike Petracek and Connie, John Grisham, Mohammed Ali, Dixie Carter, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Coach Phil Jackson, Pamela Harriman, Bill Clinton, William R. Eubanks, Vernon Jordan, Bill Carter, His Excellency Elecdad (Turkish Ambassador to US), Buzz Aldrin, Isaac Hayes and Merlin.

Lady Pea and Sweet Corn Salad
These small, sweet, tender white peas grow well in the heat and humidity of the south.
4 cups lady peas
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups fresh sweet corn (about 2 ears shaved off the ear)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thin
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup thick smoked bacon, diced and cooked
1/2 cup salad dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
Sauté the onions in olive oil and butter until translucent, add the peas and chicken broth cook until tender about 30-40 minute on medium high heat.
Just before removing the peas, add sweet corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Strain the juice and chill peas in the refrigerator until chilled throughout.
Add remaining ingredients season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate over night. This dish is actually better if made the day before.

I just got home from the major twirl in Nashville last night to benefit PROTECT and it was over the top. More on that later. But here's a peep . . . Trace Adkins wrapped those big arms around more women, causing them to swoon. Martina McBride was gracious, personable, and beautiful all dolled up in the cutest summer dress and heels. Here's a secret from the Coach's daughter Tara who is a sophmore at Auburn, Jeff Fisher of the NFL Tennessee Titans loves to cook - and now will be part of my book, as will Martina. David Keith truly championed PROTECT which he passionatley supports. You can join all of us in Country Music Child Rescue by joining PROTECT for a small annual donation. The dollars you spend may save a child's life and dignity.

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Southern Scratch and Hooch Lemonade with Tea Cakes - A Southern Belle's Way to a Man's Heart

Scratch and Hooch Lemonade
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced
In a gallon container, place sugar and hot water, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cold water to make 1 gallon. Stir until well mixed. When ready to serve, pour lemonade over glasses of crushed ice, squeeze slice of lemon on top of each. Put glasses in the freezer ahead of time so they will be chilled. Cheers! For a little added cheer – add 1 ¾ ounces Jack Daniels and ¼ ounce Triple Sec to each glass, fill with lemonade, swirl it around, add a spring of mint and enjoy! Now you’ve turned your Scratch into Hooch.
Every Southern Belle knows that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And of course Southern traditions are passed down from generation to generation, so every daughter comes armed with a closely guarded arsenal of secret recipes. When it gets hot in the South, honey it gets humid and we need to replenish the water that we loose on those sweat dripping bad hair days with something to quench our thirst! Nothing says summertime in Dixie like lemonade. Why good lemonade is a real elixir that mixed with a little honey and good Tennessee whiskey can cure most sniffles and has mended many a broken heart.

Serve your lemonade with a tea cake, and it’s a delicacy that would please the most finicky of sorts. Now tea cakes are made from scratch too, if they’re good. Dust them with a whisper of nutmeg on top and lawsy mercy; you’ve created a bite of heaven on earth.

My friend, society hostess, philanthropist, stage star and southern belle, Lynda Evjen of Hendersonville TN ( by way of Ohio, Texas and California) shares her recipe for the tea cakes from her great grandmother. Lynda is always busy planning the menus for her dinner parties months in advance, adjusting every bite to taste, but at the party she hardly taste a thing as she’s playing the effervescent hostess. But once the last guest leaves, she props up her bare feet, enjoys a drink and savors one of her Mother’s Nannie Nell’s Tea Cakes along side her sweet husband, Dave.
Nannie Nelle’s Tea Cakes
5 – 6 cups flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda;
4 eggs; 1 teaspoon salt;
2 cups sugar; 1 cup thick buttermilk;
1 cup butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla
Put 5 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add remaining ingredients to the well of the flour. Using a spoon (or your hand) gradually stir in flour as you mix the in the well of the flour. Continue until you make a stiff dough, adding more flour if needed. On a floured surface, roll out to about 1/8 in. thickness; cut into desired shape and bake on lightly greased baking sheets in a 350° oven just until light brown.

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Celebrate A Birthday with Sugar Free Key Lime Pie and Caramel Whipped Cream at Summer Tablescape Outdoors

Today is the birthday of another one of my stardust sisters, Mary Cowan, who I call Mary Sunshine because of her effervescent glow. Mary is the child most like her mother, Dame Mildred Joy Cowan, who drifted off to heaven in Mary’s arms last year. Oh Mary has done more than most would experience in two lifetimes - waltzed at Versailles, cruised through the USSR, dined with the Aly Kahn, cooked with a Master Chef and now is home in Jackson Tennessee with her beloved Magnolia, Maggie for short.
Oh sure she could be on the beach at Malibu or guiding a jet into Jackson Hole, but she’s already done that, been there. Now she’s her happiest growing beautiful flowers, decorating her home, sipping coffee with friends, and helping those who need a little push along life’s path. She’s one of those souls who can make you feel better with a smile and a hug. Maybe it’s because she’s made of the right stuff or maybe it’s the collection of angels she surrounds herself with, morning, noon and night who come to life when no one is looking.
Whatever, Mary Sunshine is a dear friend and a spark who makes a big difference in this big old world. Compassionate, creative, and cool – that’s Mary. So twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. It’s Mary who makes the stars twinkle on the bleakest of days and the darkest of nights. Happy Birthday Sunshine!
We’ll be celebrating her birthday Friday evening and I am serving her favorite key lime pie rather than birthday cake. That’s after blue cheese burgers with grilled onions and honey barbecue sauce and a few sweet potato fries. I think we’ll dine outside, weather permitting, if not maybe in the sun room. Here’s a lovely tablescape my friend Kent Freeman recently set for a summer dinner party. Maybe we'll have him create somthing like this for us. Who knows!

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Key Lime Pie with Caramel Whipped Cream (Sugar Free)
Cookie Crum Crust
1 1/2 cups sugar free shortbread or vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup pecans toasted and finely chopped
1/3 cup butter melted
Combine all ingredients. Press mixture onto bottom of a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350ºfor 10 minutes.
Pie Filling & Topping
7 large egg yolks
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 cups Splenda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 small key lime, sliced for garnish
1/3 cup caramel topping (sugar free)
While crust cools, make the filling. In top of double boiler, whisk, beaten egg yolks, lime juice, Splenda and salt until well blended; cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat back of metal spoon. Remove from heat; stir in lime zest. Refrigerate mixture about 45 minutes until cool. Mean while, in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat cream until soft peaks form. Set 1 cup whipped cream aside for garnish; fold cooled lime mixture into remaining cream. Spoon filling into prepared crust; refrigerate at least 2 hours until set. To serve: Fold caramel topping gently into remaining whipped cream and spoon decoratively over top of pie; garnish with lime slices.

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